La Bohème, 2013

House program for the Canadian Opera Company's 2013 production of La Bohème.

John Caird Directs a NEW Bohème
(l–r) Vuyani Mlinde as Colline, Michael Sumuel as
Schaunard, Dimitri Pittas as Rodolfo and Joshua Hopkins
as Marcello in the Canadian Opera Company/Houston
Grand Opera (HGO)/San Francisco Opera co-production
of La Bohème, 2012, HGO. Photo: Felix Sanchez
“In reality, the original works were neither
a novel nor a play, but rather vignettes,
glimpses into the lives of the bohemian
lifestyle in Paris’s Latin Quarter.” Murger
vividly captured the bohemians’
unconventional attitude towards freedom,
pleasure and love, as well as their complete
commitment to art, but he also reminded
his readers of the harsh realities of their lives.
At La Bohème’s core is the heartbreaking
tragedy of Mimì, an ailing seamstress and
her lover Rodolfo. But Caird ingeniously
uses the four young artists: Marcello, a
painter; Rodolfo, a poet; Schaunard, a musician;
and Colline, a philosopher; to propel the
story, each employing their particular talent.
“All four young men possess wit and talent
but they aren't as good at their relationships
as they are at their art. Rodolfo knows he
must lose Mimì and Marcello runs hot and
cold with Musetta, but by the end of the
story we know that both men will move
on and certainly love again.”
“Rather than relationships, their art is
what is paramount to them – art is their
true passion. No matter what is happening
around them, Rodolfo pauses to write down
a line of verse and Marcello feverishly paints
and sketches. Like all good artists, they
don’t want a moment to slip by without,
in some way, recording it.”
Caird has set this production in the 19th
century, inspired by what was happening
in Paris at the time. “We drew great
inspiration from the great painter
Toulouse-Lautrec who was capturing all
aspects of street life, feeding the desire for
the wealthy classes to peer into the seamier
side of life.” The set design revolves around
a mosaic of canvases, painted by Marcello,
that frame the action within the opera’s
changing Parisian locales. Some paintings
remain fixed, some turn in place to create
scene changes, and others fly in to enhance
the artistic effect.
Puccini’s ability to create compelling
characters and express larger-than-life
emotions through unforgettable melodies
is what makes La Bohème a perpetual
favourite of audiences. “A great opera like
Bohème is a beautifully crafted construction
of melodies and musical dialogue – and
Puccini’s craftsmanship is quite astonishing.
As always, it will be an unalloyed pleasure
to share a rehearsal room with his music.
Having said that, my own work is only ever
as good as the cast I am working with, and
from whom I draw my own inspiration. In
this respect I am being doubly rewarded –
with two superb casts, both brimming over
with youthful energy and enthusiasm.” n
Suzanne Vanstone is former Senior Communications
Manager, Editorial at the Canadian Opera Company
FOR FURTHER INSIGHT INTO LA BOHÈME, PLEASE READ CANVASES COME ALIVE WITH SET AND COSTUME
DESIGNER DAVID FARLEY, BY SUZANNE VANSTONE, AVAILABLE IN THE FALL ISSUE OF PRELUDE ONLINE AT
COC.CA/PUBLICATIONS.
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Canadian Opera Company 2013/2014 Season